Finally, the mask came off.
Late Saturday night, after Jason Arnott scored the most dramatic goal in New Jersey franchise history, the sticks and gloves went flying and the Devils began wildly and euphorically celebrating on the Reunion Arena ice.
Martin Brodeur skated to the center of it all, maskless.
That the goaltender wore nothing on his face but a broad smile seemed symbolic, given that he and his Devils teammates finally shed their anonymity with a pulsating 2-1 victory over Dallas that ended at 8 minutes 20 seconds of the second overtime.
New Jersey, which captured its second Stanley Cup title in six seasons, may be the most nondescript 100-point and championship team in history.
Sure, some of the Devils carried reputations into this series. Brodeur is a decorated All-Star goalie. Defenseman Scott Stevens, who captured the Conn Smythe trophy as the playoff’s most valuable player, is a known force. And Claude Lemieux is a quintessential playoff performer.
But who the heck are the rest of these guys?
In a word, champions, thanks to Arnott’s game-winner, Brodeur’s sparkling 30-save effort and a multitude of will. New Jersey ended the Stars’ one-year reign as champions and tied its own NHL record with its 10th road victory in one postseason. The Devils won all three games at Reunion Arena.
“I’m a little too tired to feel anything,” Stevens said. “But this is a dream come true.”
Just ask Brett Hull how Arnott is feeling. The man who ended last year’s finals in the third overtime of Game 6 could only watch this year as Arnott did the same in one less overtime period.
Patrik Elias backhanded a pass from the corner past Sylvain Cote and through the crease. Arnott one-timed the puck past a sprawling Ed Belfour, who proved spectacular in defeat with 43 saves.
Arnott had been forced to sweat out a rare overtime penalty when he foolishly cross-checked Blake Sloan’s head to the ice at 18:43 of the first extra period. The Stars were unable to convert the power play, and the Devils ended up outshooting them 11-1 in the first overtime.
“Belfour kept us in the game,” Stars center Mike Modano said.
Brodeur proved equally as impenetrable. He stopped a point-blank Hull blast at 4:43 of the second overtime.
Arnott’s physicality served as a microcosm of a brutal game. The most serious injury came when Stars defenseman Derian Hatcher separated Petr Sykora from his senses with a questionable hit at 12:08 of the first.
The Devils’ forward smacked his head on the ice when he fell. Players from both teams gathered around as Sykora, his head immobilized, left the ice on a stretcher and went directly to nearby Baylor Medical Center. A CAT scan proved normal, but Sykora was kept overnight for observation.
Scott Niedermayer broke a scoreless tie with a shorthanded goal at 5:18 of the second. The goal broke a scoreless string of 145:31 for New Jersey and had the potential to demoralize Dallas.
But Mike Keane countered with a huge goal just 69 seconds later, beating Brodeur with a quick wrist shot from the right circle off assists from Scott Thornton and Modano.
Coming on the heels of a three-overtime classic in Game 5, the teams played a combined 194:41 of hockey.
“These were two unbelievable hockey games,” Dallas coach Ken Hitchcock said.
And when it ended, there all the unsung Devils were, skating around with expressions of ecstasy on their faces.
There was the center Arnott, who battled injuries and found redemption in New Jersey after disappointing seasons in Edmonton.
There was Arnott’s linemate, Elias, who answered questions about whether he was tough enough to endure the playoff grind.
There were the four rookies–Scott Gomez, Colin White, John Madden and Brian Rafalski–who contributed so much with so little playoff experience.
There were defensemen Scott Niedermayer and Ken Daneyko, rocks of stability who also hoisted Lord Stanley’s trophy with the Devils in 1995.
Even Sykora received representation as Devils coach Larry Robinson wore the injured forward’s sweater during the on-ice celebration.
“This one is special,” said Robinson, who has won six Stanley Cups as a player, one as an assistant and now one as a head coach.
So, who are these guys? They’re the Stanley Cup champions.
